


I'll Be Coming For Your Love

by horrifvic



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: And needed more fluff, Explicit Language, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, I didn't create these characters, I just love them, Mutual Pining, No Lesbians Die, Pining, Romance, Slow Dancing, Slow Romance, Zombie Apocalypse, for my little gay heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:55:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28703262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/horrifvic/pseuds/horrifvic
Summary: Ellie and Dina have been best friends for years, but both of them have realized that they need more.//This story is just a little bit of what I imagine took place in the weeks leading up to and on the day of the Winter dance (we all know what happened there ;) ). It also includes some closure between Ellie and Joel - just a little bit of what I wish we could've gotten to see between the two before the tragic events of the game took place. Mostly fluff with a little bit of angsty Ellie.
Relationships: Dina & Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina & Jesse (The Last Of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina/Jesse (The Last of Us), Ellie & Joel (The Last of Us), Ellie/Joel (The Last of Us)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	I'll Be Coming For Your Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Before you get started I just wanted to shout out some of the amazing works that inspired me to write my own little piece as well -- so if you haven't read these you definitely should!! 
> 
> Absolution, In My Life, Shaken By A Low Sound, Honey, We're Home? (and all of FiresideGuitar's works), and honestly too many other to list. 
> 
> But without further adieu, I hope you enjoy the story :)

_Ellie can still recall walking through those gates into Jackson for what had been the second time - nervous, angry, confused, and scared of all of the unknowns that she may encounter in the small settlement. But what she never expected to encounter behind those walls was her. The girl with thick black hair pulled back into a bun, dark freckles all over her tanned face, and the most radiant and contagious smile she had ever seen._

_According to Tommy the girl had just arrived a few weeks prior, just days after Joel and Ellie had left for the hospital - for the Fireflies which Ellie had never even gotten to see or speak to about her strange condition. She arrived alone, skinny, malnourished, and traumatized from the time she had spent wandering through the wasteland that had become of what had once been a thriving area surrounding Jackson. Apparently she had come from New Mexico, where she had grown up with her mother - who had passed away years ago - and her sister, Talia, whose death seemed to be much more recent and traumatic for the young teenager._

_While Ellie didn’t get to know the girl right away, she wanted to - something deep inside her yearned for the young girl’s attention the second she had passed her walking down Jackson’s main street. It only took a week for the girl to corner her at the stables, her charming smile quickly convincing Ellie to blow off her normal routine of drawing alone in her one-room home in order to come to one of Jackson’s famous bonfires._

_After some convincing the dark-haired girl was always able to get Ellie to come out with her. Though Ellie would normally hate the thought of being around the other teenagers of Jackson, she could never bear with the thought of seeing the freckled girl’s face drop when she denied her - so she simply didn’t. The bonfires became a weekly staple of the two girls’ routine, as did spending every free moment that they possibly could together. Where the residents of Jackson saw Ellie, they too saw Dina - it was as if they were attached at the hip._

_The freckled girl was the first person in Jackson that Ellie even bothered to make eye contact with, the first person to pull Ellie out of her shell, and eventually the first person that Ellie fell in love with._

_\---_

Dina woke up earlier than she ever had that morning - earlier than even Maria, who woke up at dawn literally every day to ensure that her town had made it through the night unscathed. She felt as though she had barely even slept, tossing and turning all night with anticipation for the Winter dance. 

She couldn’t lie to herself, she absolutely loved those stupid gatherings that they held in the church every few months - however this time was different. She had been sure to ask Ellie to be there, and although she knew the taller girl couldn’t resist her she was still worried about whether or not she would show up. She knew that getting through the day with this worry in the back of her mind was going to be a struggle, especially when she had the entire day off with absolutely nothing to do but anticipate what was going to come that night. 

Instead of driving herself crazy Dina opted to clean her house, but this only made her nerves worse. In every corner of her small two story home there were signs of Ellie - her shirt in Dina’s closet, one of her grey hoodies that Dina had “borrowed” at a bonfire months ago that she never intended on returning, a picture of the two girls and Jesse that had been taken a few months after Ellie had arrived in Jackson - Ellie was everywhere, but it still wasn’t enough for the dark haired woman. 

Dina sat on her bed wrapped in Ellie’s hoodie, anticipating the events to come with both dread and excitement. She found herself consumed by the smell of Ellie emanating from the sweatshirt that she had clutched tightly in her arms - and she was soon lost in her thoughts about the green-eyed girl. She found herself wishing that she was wrapped up in Ellie’s arms instead of her stolen sweatshirt - wishing she had told her best friend about her feelings long ago when she had first realized them. She had been planning on telling Ellie how she felt months ago during one of her and Jesse’s “breaks”, but that night had gone terribly wrong. 

\---

_Dina had convinced Ellie to sit on the old wooden playground next to the stables with her and drink some of Jackson’s best hooch - which she had spitefully stolen from Jesse’s room after the break up. About halfway through the bottle of liquid courage Dina finally breached the topic of relationships, telling Ellie that she just didn’t feel the same way about her ex boyfriend anymore and that she had her eye on someone else._

_“I just..” Dina sighed “I just can’t be with him anymore. I love him and his family more than anything, but just not like that.” At this Ellie nodded in understanding, but in classic Ellie fashion didn’t say anything more, waiting for Dina to continue._

_“I think I have feelings for someone else.”_

_At this revelation Dina saw Ellie’s face fall, likely thinking that Dina was talking about one of the many teenage boys of Jackson who for some reason pined after her like their lives depended on it despite the fact that she knew they would never have a chance in the world against her best friend. However, Ellie quickly wiped this emotion off of her face and instead interrupted Dina’s drunk rambling to tell her about Cat - Ellie’s tattoo artist and now girlfriend._

_This confession of course derailed all of Dina’s plans to confess her newfound feelings for her best friend, leaving her no option but to secretly hate Cat and wait for the day that the two broke up so that Dina could finally know what it would feel like to kiss the green-eyed girl._

_So, instead of responding to Ellie’s confession with how she actually felt, Dina instead took another swig of the burning liquid and congratulated her best friend - wanting her to be happy above all else._

_However, after Ellie had to return home citing an early morning patrol, Dina had gone to Jesse’s house in a fit of jealous and drunken rage and made up with the boy. Everyone expected them to get back together anyway, so why not? Dina secretly hoped that maybe being with him could shake the feelings that she had for Ellie - even though deep down she knew this wouldn’t be true._

_\---_

Dina, of course, had been correct in thinking that her feelings for the green-eyed girl wouldn’t go away - they in fact had just grown stronger and more intense with time. Watching Ellie be with Cat was infuriating for the dark-haired girl - in fact on many occasions she had let her jealousy get the best of her. Dina couldn’t help herself and often found herself in Jesse’s living room fuming about how little time she and Ellie had been spending together. Of course Jesse - being the oblivious man he was - had no helpful input, but it still helped Dina to get it out. 

She missed her best friend. She missed spending time with her. She missed making her laugh. She missed making fun of the girl’s stupid jokes even though both she and Ellie knew she loved them. She hated seeing Cat laugh around Ellie, knowing that the short blonde was getting to laugh at jokes that Dina would never get to hear. But most of all she hated seeing someone else put that light pink blush on her best friend’s cheeks. 

When Ellie had broken the news of her break up to Dina last week, she knew that this was her chance. She had broken up with Jesse just two days later - and though she felt bad for treating one of her longest friends as a placeholder, they both had known that the relationship was over. The break was mutual, and they both knew that once the dust settled that they would continue to be good friends. After dealing with this, Dina had nothing to do but plan on how she would tell Ellie about her feelings. 

She had thought about simply walking up to Ellie’s door and explaining the rollercoaster of emotions that she had ridden for the many months since she had realized her feelings - but she couldn’t work up the courage. She had also considered writing Ellie a letter and leaving it on her door, but after a few failed drafts she realized that writing was Ellie’s thing - definitely not her’s. 

Despite knowing that Ellie wasn’t a very public person, Dina realized that the only way she was going to be able to do this would be with some liquid courage, and that was going to be in heavy supply at the Winter dance. Dina figured that she would spend all night flirting with Ellie at the dance, and then once it died down she would convince Ellie to go for a drink with her where she would break the news to the green-eyed girl and, hopefully, finally get to kiss the lips that she had been craving for so long. 

Dina had been preparing for this night for months, and now - after apparently spending all day wrapped up in both Ellie’s sweater and her own thoughts - it was only hours away. Dina knew that she needed to get up and get ready, but she just couldn’t pry herself from the grips of Ellie’s intoxicating scent. She instead opted to spend just a little more time laying in bed, dreaming of what she and Ellie could be if tonight goes well. 

\--- 

Ellie had slept in that morning, as per usual, and woke up just around noon. She had taken her time getting dressed and ready for her day, which she had volunteered to spend helping Joel clean his workshop up - simply so the old man wouldn’t throw out his back again. 

She still wasn’t happy with Joel and his lies, but she knew that she needed to forgive him - and that was exactly what she was trying to do. She knew that he was trying, but she just couldn’t shake the fact that he had taken such an important choice away from her. He had taken her meaning away, he had made all of their struggle to cross the country absolutely pointless. She had been so angry - and she definitely still was - but it hurt more to not have the man in her life than it did to hate him. She knew that he was doing what he thought was best, and now she needed to work up the nerve to forgive him - and worst of all, admit that she was wrong. 

Ellie quickly shook herself out of her thoughts, finished getting ready, and dragged herself across the cold backyard and into Joel’s large home. 

“Hey Joel” she yelled, “Ya up yet or you still getting your beauty sleep?”

When she heard laughter coming from his upstairs workshop she knew that he was far ahead of her. The greying man always was an early riser - she suspected that years of dealing with the world’s dire state had made him this way. It pushed him to the point where he was never truly able to relax for more than a few hours. 

“Nope Ellie, that’s just you” he drawled out in his southern accent. “I dunno why I even asked for your help, shoulda known that I’d have it done long before ya even got outta bed kiddo.” 

She cringed at how easily he used the affectionate nickname for her, still wanting to hate him but forcing herself to let it go. She needed to try this. She needed to forgive the only person she had ever seen as a parent. 

“Oh so I can just go back to bed then?” she jabbed back at him. “I guess I’ll just be on my way then, you know I need that beauty sleep just as much as you do” she jokingly turned back to the door to feign leaving. 

“Oh, I know ya do darlin’, but no. I still need ya up here for some help please.” He sounded nervous and almost panicked. Joel stood awkwardly at the top of the stairs, waiting for Ellie to join him.

Once Ellie reached the top and looked into the workshop, she saw just how much he had already done. Not only was the floor completely void of months of old sawdust, but the normal wood scraps that adorned the old wooden floor of his home were nowhere to be found. Ellie knew that she was a terrible housekeeper - her home could attest to that - but even she knew that it would take far longer than a few hours to clean as well as Joel had. 

“You fucking tricked me!”

The anger quickly rose in Ellie’s chest. This lie quickly brought the old wound to the surface and she was ready to snap.

“I didn’t kiddo, just hear me out” Joel grumbled as Ellie rolled her eyes. “I promise El, I really did need your help, if you’da just woken up a little earlier…” he mumbled, getting off track. 

A pointed look from Ellie quickly brought his thoughts back to where they we’re supposed to be. 

“I’ve been makin’ something for ya kiddo, if you’d just lemme give it to you” Joel grumbled. 

Ellie’s rage quickly subsided, instead being replaced with a tiny hint of excitement. Joel’s creations were always so intricate and beautiful, and she knew whatever he had made for her would be no different. Truthfully, Joel had attempted to give Ellie multiple creations - but unfortunately the girl had never been open to receiving something from the man who had hurt her so much back in Salt Lake City. But today was different. Today she was trying for him. She was trying for herself.

“Oh really now? You really are just an old sap aren’t ya?” Ellie jested, falling back into the banter that had once been so familiar between the pair. 

Grunting in agreement, Joel turned to enter his workshop. Ellie followed close behind struggling to hide her excitement from the old man - who definitely noticed. 

“So, it ain’t quite finished yet …” Joel explained while reaching into the closet to retrieve the trinket, his nerves making themselves more apparent with every passing second. 

When he turned around Ellie’s eyes widened with surprise. He had carved a couple of old pieces of scrap wood into the neck and body of an acoustic guitar - or “gee-tar” as he said it - and it was just as beautiful as Ellie expected it to be. To Ellie it seemed like the guitar was completely finished, albeit the strings being fixed to the neck. 

“Not done my ass.” Ellie chuckled. 

“Well, ya see…” Joel flipped the guitar around, “I just ain’t quite finished this yet.” 

The back of the guitar was decorated with a large carving of what appeared to Ellie to be the solar system. 

“I jus thought you’d like this,” Joel mumbled sheepishly, “it reminded me of them space uniforms we saw on your birthday that one year. When I took ya to that museum ’member?” 

Ellie remained silent, unsure of what to say. She remembered the museum well. It had been her favorite birthday she’d ever had. She was taken aback by the gesture, too caught up in her emotions to respond. 

Her silence however seemed like a rejection to Joel, and he quickly tried to back track. 

“I know it ain’t the best, and you don’t gotta take it if ya don’t like it kiddo. I don’t expect this to mean that ya forgive me -“ 

Ellie interrupted Joel’s rambling by stepping forward and pulling him into a quick hug. A hug that they had both been waiting for for years, ever since Ellie had declared that they were done all that time ago in Salt Lake City. They both needed this hug, but Ellie didn’t want him to think it meant more than it did. 

“Thank you Joel,” She pulled away after just a second, “It - It’s really nice old man.” 

She looked down at her worn converse, now embarrassed by such a spontaneous display of affection. She could tell from the light pink blush on his cheeks that Joel was embarrassed too. 

“No problem kiddo” 

Ellie didn’t know what to say. She wanted him to know that this didn’t make it all better, but she also wanted him to know that she appreciated the gesture. She really did like the guitar, it even looked like he had read one of her old books to be sure to get all the planets to look just right. She knew the old man couldn’t have cared less about space before they met, but he tried for her. 

He had told her years ago after finding a new comic book for Ellie that one day he would out nerd her. She knew it would never happen. 

“Ya alright there kiddo?” Joel pulled her from her thoughts. 

“Yea, I - I’m fine.” Ellie muttered. “I just - this doesn’t mean we’re okay Joel.” 

Joel looked dejected, but understanding. “I know Ellie, I jus - I been wantin’ to give this to ya for a while. It ain’t gotta mean nothin’. Promise.” 

Ellie nodded her head in understanding. “Well in that case,” she smirked, “I will gladly take this - once it’s actually done old man.” 

Ellie knew she wasn’t ready to forgive him. She knew it wasn’t going to be this easy. She didn’t know when - or if - it would ever be normal between the two of them again. But she was willing to try.

“Well, now that you’ve shown me this, what can I help ya with you big sap?” 

Ellie helped Joel clean and sharpen his tools for the next several hours - with some sparse conversation here and there. It was still very awkward between the pair, but the music from Joel’s old record player helped to make the silence a little less uncomfortable between the two of them. 

Joel even attempted to show Ellie how to carve designs into a small scrap he had lying around. Ellie knew she was good with a switchblade - the hundreds of infected she had taken down could attest to that - or rather they couldn’t, but that was for the best. However, despite Ellie’s switchblade skills and her claim to be great with her hands - a joke she once made that made Dina blush furiously - she was absolutely terrible at this craft. The green-eyed girl had attempted to carve a small dinosaur, a Brachiosaurus to be exact, that had turned out to just be a pile of sawdust on the floor. 

Ellie’s temper quickly took over and she gave up, throwing her tools down and instead picking up a broom to sweep up the new mess she had formed on the floor around her. Once the floor was once again spotless - except for some red stained areas where Joel had surely had a few accidents with his carving knife - she said her goodbyes to Joel, explaining that he would likely see her at the Winter dance tonight, and went back to her small home in order to freshen up. 

Ellie absolutely hated these things, but she had promised Dina - even if she had been tricked into it by those big dark eyes. Ellie was sure that Dina knew the power she held over her, and it seemed as though she had been flirting with Ellie non-stop over the past few days just to ensure that she kept that power. Dina was always flirty, with everyone, so Ellie was sure that it was just in her head that the flirting had intensified since her break up with Cat a week prior. However, Cat seemed to disagree - she thought Ellie was flirting back too. 

Cat couldn’t stand Dina. Ellie knew it before the short blonde had even told her, but she wasn’t budging. Dina was her best friend, and sure she had wanted her to be more than that once - but she knew it wasn’t going to happen, and she had finally accepted that. She wasn’t going to stop hanging out with Dina just because Cat didn’t want her to. 

This is exactly what had led to their breakup a week ago. Cat had told Ellie that she couldn’t take it any more - she wasn’t going to share Ellie with Dina, so she gave the green-eyed girl an ultimatum, it was Cat or Dina. Ellie understood, she really did, but she made her choice. And it definitely wasn’t Cat. 

Of course, when Ellie had gone to Dina’s house that night she didn’t tell her that she was the reason for the break up. She simply told her that it wasn’t working out, and that she just didn’t feel the way about Cat that she should. Ellie didn’t say what she had wanted to say - that she didn’t feel the way about Cat that she did about Dina. She couldn’t say it. It would ruin the only friendship that was truly important to her. 

Of course, even though Ellie was in love with someone else, the break up still hurt - so she stayed at her best friends house that night for comfort - or so she told herself. Ellie knew that they would fall asleep on the couch together watching a movie, and that at some point through the night Dina would cuddle up to her. She wanted to hold the smaller girl, to experience the comfort that she got from cuddling with her best friend. Normal best friends did that right? Dina was just touchy, she cuddled with everyone - it didn’t mean anything when she was extra cuddly with the green-eyed girl that night. It was normal - or Ellie tried to convince herself it was. 

Shaking her head to clear herself from the thoughts of that night - which she had zoned out thinking about many times that week - she picked up one of her old flannels and buttoned it up. She wanted to look at least presentable for the dance, and for Dina. The flannel that she really wanted to wear was nowhere to be found - either at the bottom of her laundry pile in the bathroom or lost somewhere in her mess of a home. Maybe she had left it at Dina’s. So instead, she accepted her somewhat messy appearance and went on her way out the door, opting to get a drink at the Tipsy Bison before going to the church for the dance. She would definitely need some liquid courage to be able to handle being around that many people. 

\---

Dina had already been at the dance for nearly an hour, and she was starting to get worried. She was always able to convince the green-eyed girl to come out with her, and so help her god if this night was any different - the night where she had finally worked up the courage to make a move - she would riot. Ellie had to be on her way, Dina wasn’t going to take no for an answer. She decided that if Ellie didn’t get here after the next song she would march to her home and drag her there herself. 

Luckily though for Dina - and certainly for Ellie - the taller girl arrived just before the upbeat song ended. Just in time for her to see Dina whipping around on the dance floor, the center of attention as always. As soon as Dina spotted her the biggest shit-eating grin spread across her perfectly tanned and freckled face, her best friend hadn’t broken her promise to be there. She shouldn’t be surprised. Ellie never broke a promise to Dina. 

“Ellie! Hey!” she breathed out, tired from the show she had just put on on the dance floor, “What took you so long?” 

Dina tried to play it cool, and not give away the fact that she had been freaking out all day over this exact moment. She grabbed Ellie’s whiskey from her hand and downed what remained. 

“I’m here aren’t I?” Ellie chuckled, blushing slightly as Dina hung off her shoulder, catching her breath. 

“Dina.” Jesse said awkwardly in greeting from where he was standing beside Ellie.

The glare he got from Dina was ice cold.

“Jesse.” She responded through gritted teeth. She didn’t know why she had been so cold toward him. He really was a good guy - she just couldn’t be bothered with the presence of anyone else tonight. Tonight was about her and Ellie. Finally. 

Instead of sticking around and enduring the awkward tension she had just created, she grabbed Ellie’s hand and pulled her on to the dance floor, interlacing their fingers. 

It was as though the Jackson gods were on Dina’s side that night, as a slow song started playing the second Ellie’s worn converse hit the wooden dance floor. 

“You’re such a dick.” Ellie jested.

Dina, however, was not as amused as the taller girl was. 

“Oh c’mon. Don’t you start with me.” 

Dina took control of the taller girl’s lanky arms, placing them around her waist, just a little lower than she would have let anyone else in Jackson put their hands. She then wrapped her arms around the back of Ellie’s neck, slowly beginning to sway to the beat along with her. 

“Okay, I have a very serious question for you.” Dina smirked. “How bad do I smell?” 

Dina knew it wasn’t good, she had been dancing non stop for an hour while she waited for Ellie to show up - and the nerves definitely couldn’t have helped either. But regardless of the true answer, this normal banter between the two friends was helping to calm Dina’s nerves - which were on high alert due to the proximity of the girl she had been wanting so bad for months now. 

Ellie sniffed her playfully, being sure to make a face as she pulled away for Dina to see. 

“Like a pile of hot garbage,” the tall girl jested. 

“Ohh. Okay.” At this response Dina pulled Ellie close and wiped as much sweat as she could onto Ellie’s lightly freckled face. 

“How about that?” Dina chuckled while Ellie pulled back, making a face that they both knew to be exaggerated. They both enjoyed the contact a little too much. 

“Gross!” Ellie feigned disgust.

“You love it,” Dina responded smoothly. The other girl couldn’t argue with that. 

Dina then pulled Ellie closer, resting her head on the tall girl’s shoulder. A moment of silence followed. Comfortable silence. Only the kind of silence that can be enjoyed by best friends or lovers. However, this silence gave Dina just enough time to think about why tonight was so important, causing the panic to return to her body. She knew that she had tensed up, and she knew Ellie had noticed it too. 

“Every guy in this room is staring at you right now.” Ellie falsely assumed why Dina’s small body was suddenly so tense. She thought the shorter girl had noticed what Ellie so blatantly saw whenever she was out with her best friend. Everyone wanted Dina. It only reinforced the fact that she would never be Ellie’s. 

“Maybe they’re staring at you.” Dina whispered into her ear. Ellie’s face was so close to hers - it was hard to keep herself from doing what she’d been longing for for so long now. She couldn’t wait much longer. 

“They’re not.” Ellie shook her head quickly. 

“Maybe they’re jealous of you.” Dina smirked, falling back into the flirty banter that had become normal between the two girls. 

“I’m … just a girl. Not a threat.” Ellie said quickly. The sense of rejection and defeat in her voice was painfully apparent. Dina couldn’t stand to hear the taller girl talk like this. She knew how wrong she was. If only Ellie knew. 

Dina pulled back to look Ellie in the eyes. This was it. It was time. Dina was ready, she had hyped herself up all week for this - she was doing it.

“Oh Ellie,” the shorter girl swiped a stray piece of hair behind Ellie’s ear, “ I think they should be terrified of you.” 

That moment seemed to last forever. Green eyes staring into big brown ones. The two girls still swaying to the sound of the soft guitar that felt so distant. Blood pounding in Dina’s ears. Confusion in Ellie’s eyes. 

Dina glanced down at Ellie’s lips. She had wanted to kiss them for so long - she wasn’t going to stop herself anymore. She looked back up to meet confused green eyes, and a furrowed brow. She wanted to chuckle at Ellie’s confusion but on this rare occasion, Dina was serious. She looked back down to Ellie’s pink lips and finally - she kissed them. 

Ellie was taken aback. She was confused but thrilled. This was not what she was expecting to come from tonight. Her mind was on overdrive but luckily her body reacted for her. Without even thinking about it she kissed the shorter girl back, and her mind soon caught up. After a second Ellie’s eyes also fluttered closed - she let herself enjoy the kiss. She had wanted this kiss for five years. She had wanted Dina since the moment she laid eyes on her. 

Dina’s lips moved expertly against Ellie’s, the spark between them more apparent than ever. Much to Dina’s surprise, the other girl quickly intensified the kiss, pulling the brown-eyed girl in by the back of her neck and grazing her lower lip with her tongue - silently asking for permission to deepen the kiss. Dina, of course, permitted opening her lips just wide enough for their tongues to tangle together, each of the girls fighting for dominance. Not wanting to go too far - especially in the middle of a church dance floor - the girls eventually relented, pulling away breathlessly. 

The kiss seemed to last forever, but it still ended too soon for both girls’ liking. They were both unable to formulate their thoughts, and instead opted to stare into each others’ eyes, lost in the moment. Ellie smiled and blushed - finally it was Dina’s turn to make her blush in this way. Finally Dina was the one that got to taste Ellie’s lips. She had been waiting for this for months, ever since she had realized that her feelings were more than friendly. 

It was as if nothing could bring them down from this moment, both just standing there smiling like idiots, staring into each other’s eyes without another care in the world. But unfortunately the moment was interrupted before they even got the chance to say anything to each other. 

“Hey!” Someone yelled from behind Dina. “This is a family event.” 

Ellie recognized him as Seth, the bigot who worked at the Tipsy Bison. The taller girl was still too shocked to properly respond, but Dina just connected their hands again and smiled at the taller girl, while chuckling a half-assed apology to the old man. 

This, however, apparently wasn’t good enough for Seth who decided to call after them, egging Dina on. “Remember next time there’s kids around.” 

“Yea, like you’re setting such a great example.” Dina was beginning to become angry with the bigoted old man now. 

“Oh, just what this town needs. Another loud-mouthed dyke.” Seth chuckled, thinking he was funny. Nobody else laughed.

This finally set Ellie off, and she couldn’t remain quiet in her little bubble of happiness anymore. She stormed back toward Seth, ready to give him a piece of her mind - or rather a piece of her fist. Dina struggled to hold her back, being forced to disconnect their intertwined fingers in order to get in front of the taller girl to try to calm her down. 

“The fuck did you just say?” Ellie demanded.

Dina, now worried about what might happen, tried to calm her. “Ellie. Ellie, don’t!” Brown eyes pleadingly met green ones that were filled with rage. They both knew Seth wasn’t worth it - but they also couldn’t let him get away with this. 

Suddenly, Joel was there shoving Seth away from his surrogate daughter. “Get the hell out of here.” He said firmly and calmly. There was no way anyone was going to hurt his baby girl, not tonight - not after the progress they had finally made earlier in the day. 

“Get your hands off of me!” 

Before Joel could take the out-of-shape bigoted asshole down Maria was between them to break it up. Joel backed down and let Tommy and Maria take Seth outside while he tried to talk to Ellie. 

“You alright kiddo?” Joel was worried - Ellie could tell, but she didn’t care. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” She let the anger from the situation bubble up between the two of them. She knew she shouldn’t have. She regretted it immediately - but she couldn’t help it. 

“He had no right --“ Joel tried to get out but was interrupted by Ellie. 

“And you do?” She retorted. ”I don’t need your fucking help Joel.”

The hurt in his eyes was immediately visible. She shouldn’t have said that. She was just so angry. She was supposed to be forgiving Joel, not making things worse. Stupid fucking bigot. It was all Seth’s fault. 

“Right.” Joel backed away dejectedly. He left the church quickly, not wanting the rest of the town to see how hurt he was by Ellie’s words. 

Ellie felt terrible. She was angry, hurt, embarrassed - she couldn’t be here anymore. She couldn’t be the center of attention like this. Without thinking she turned around, walking right past Dina and out of the church as quickly as she could. She didn’t hear Dina calling her name, she didn’t think - she just ran back to her tiny shed of a home. She wanted to be with Dina, but she had to get out of there - she needed a minute. 

\---

Dina stood shocked, standing on the edge of the dance floor with all eyes on her. Normally, when she had the attention on the dance floor it was because she was tearing it the fuck up - not because she had just outed herself in front of Jackson’s biggest bigot and caused an awkward fight between Ellie and Joel. She rubbed her neck awkwardly before turning around as fast as she could, running out of the church doors. She hoped to find Ellie outside somewhere, but she was nowhere to be found. 

She instead saw Joel out front, looking like a lost puppy - but she wasn’t sure she should approach him. It wasn’t her business. She knew Ellie had been unhappy with him but didn’t know why, it was the one thing the taller girl wouldn’t tell her - so she didn’t pry. But before she could think any more about it he looked up at her, likely feeling her eyes on him. 

Joel gave her a sad smile, and Dina returned the gesture. They had been around each other a lot, and Dina knew the older man liked her - he loved what a good friend she was to Ellie, he loved that Dina loved the green-eyed girl almost as much as he did. Because they knew each other so well, they didn’t really feel the need to speak, they just looked at each other for a second - Dina feeling bad for Joel, and Joel trying to figure out why he didn’t realize that Dina was into his daughter sooner. 

After a moment, all Joel said was “I’m happy for y’all. Seth don’t mean a thing.” 

Dina just smiled sadly and nodded. She understood what he was saying. She knew that Ellie had been terrified to tell him about Cat when they had started dating - she didn’t know how he’d react. And then whatever happened between Ellie and Joel happened and she never mentioned wanting to tell him again. Dina was glad to know that Joel was one of the good ones, unlike Seth. 

After their little moment, Dina excused herself to head home - Joel claiming he’d be doing the same. Dina couldn’t handle being out anymore, the buzz that she’d had from the whiskey had worn off and now all she could think about was the kiss and the events that followed. She had been so excited for the night and now she had absolutely no idea what it meant for her friendship with Ellie. She needed to go home and think about it, no matter how badly she just wanted to go to Ellie’s and ask her herself. 

The usually quick walk home seemed to take forever without Ellie by her side walking her there. When she finally arrived at the small two story home she couldn’t even bring herself to shower, she just stripped off her sweaty shirt and jeans and slid into bed. She knew that she should’ve washed up - after all she was only half joking when she had asked Ellie how bad she smelled - but she couldn’t bring herself to do anything but lay in bed and worry. 

She needed to know what Ellie thought. She needed to know if Ellie felt the same sparks that she had when their lips had finally connected. She wanted to feel Ellie’s soft and sweet lips against hers again. She wanted to taste the whiskey on Ellie’s tongue again. 

Dina debated getting back up and out of bed and making the familiar walk to Ellie’s house, but she knew the other girl needed space. She knew Ellie better than almost anyone in this town - Joel being the only one that could give her a run for her money in that department. And because of how well she knew her best friend, she knew that it wouldn’t be right to push her tonight. She had seen the anger in Ellie’s eyes when she had yelled at Joel, but she had also seen the pain in them. She knew that whatever was going on behind those captivating green eyes of hers was important, and that Ellie needed to be alone tonight to think. No matter how much Dina needed to know what was going on between them, and how badly she wanted to kiss her again.

So, as much as the dark-haired woman wanted to, she didn’t go knock on Ellie’s door. She knew that she would be seeing her in the morning for patrol - so Dina figured that her questions could wait til then. She could endure one night of not knowing in order to take care of her best friend’s needs. She would find out what she needed to know on patrol, one way or another. 

\---

There was too much going on in Ellie’s head. She had really been thrown for a loop tonight - one second confused, the next thrilled, then angry, and confused again. 

Why had Dina kissed her? She knew it must not have meant anything, it was just Dina being Dina. Right? She was just a flirty person, she was probably just messing around. The short girl had been flirting with her for years and never meant anything by it before - it couldn't be any different now. Ellie was sure of it. 

Thinking about it now, however, Ellie couldn't help but notice how much more frequent the flirting had become lately. As of late it seemed like they couldn't get through a movie night without their legs being tangled together halfway through. They couldn't get through one of the weekly bonfires without Dina asking Ellie to sneak off to the playground in order to play her a song - and of course Ellie could never resist, no matter how much she wanted to. 

Ellie now remembered the bonfire weeks ago, when Dina had asked her to play for her and they had come so close to kissing. 

_\---_

_Despite hating the attention, Ellie always brought her guitar to play at the bonfires but as of late she had only been playing for a single person audience - Dina._

_Ellie was freezing, she didn’t know why Dina always had to wait until the fire was basically out before asking her to stay and play a song, but she still never denied the dark-haired girl of what she wanted. She actually appreciated the fact that it was usually just them two left at that point, the taller girl being shy about her talents._

_Of course, this night was no different from the countless others. Dina had begged Ellie to come out - Ellie did. Dina waited until people started leaving to ask Ellie to play a song - Ellie did. The taller girl was whipped by her best friend, and they both knew it._

_Ellie retrieved the old guitar from where she had left it, leaning against an old tree stump a few yards away, and then returned to sit next to Dina on one of the small wooden benches next to the smouldering remains of the bonfire. The shorter girl scooted close to Ellie - presumably for warmth - letting their legs press against one another, the familiar warm feeling comforting to the best friends._

_Ellie cleared her throat, beginning to strum the guitar to ensure it was in tune before beginning to sing._

_“We’re talkin’ away” She began shakily._

_“I don’t know what_

_I’m to say_

_I’ll say it anyway”_

_Dina immediately recognized the tune. She had heard it countless times emanating from Joel’s house, his record player turned up as loud as it would go so that the two girls could enjoy the music in the back yard as well._

_“Today’s another day to find you_

_shying away”_

_Dina stared at the green-eyed girl, admiring how intensely focused she was on getting each chord exactly right._

_“I’ll be coming for your love, okay?”_

_Dina blushed at this line, but she wasn’t quite sure why._

_“Take on me_

_Take me on_

_I’ll be gone_

_In a day or two”_

_Dina loved how the girl was making the song her own, really slowing it down. The intimacy in the way that Ellie was singing it to her was undeniable. It drew Dina in, leaning closer to her best friend as she sang._

_“So needless to say_

_I’m odds and ends_

_But I’ll be stumbling away”_

_Ellie was getting more comfortable now, focused and in her zone._

_“Slowly learning that life is ok”_

_Ellie could feel Dina’s eyes burning into the side of her face, but she didn’t dare look up. She couldn't look into Dina’s eyes without getting lost in them._

_“Say after me_

_It’s no better to be safe than sorry”_

_Ellie felt Dina shift beside her, moving closer - making Ellie feel warm all over._

_“Take on me_

_Take me on_

_I’ll be gone_

_In a day or two_

_In a day or two”_

_Ellie finished, strumming out the final notes which were suddenly muted by Dina’s hand on the strings. Ellie turned her head to meet Dina’s eyes, but the dark eyes were fixed downwards looking at Ellie’s - lips? Did she have something on her face?_

_“What, is there still marshmallow on my face?” Ellie chuckled awkwardly, turning away to hide the light pink blush on her cheeks._

_“No,” Dina said softly. She cleared her throat prompting Ellie to turn back to face her, green eyes once again meeting deep brown._

_Their faces were so close, if Ellie had the guts she would just lean in to finally kiss the lips she’d been craving since they first met. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. Ellie was terrified of ruining their friendship, and they were both in relationships for god’s sake - even if Cat really was Ellie’s second choice. Dina was probably just drunk._

_Ellie again broke the eye contact, shifting away from her best friend after what felt like hours. The two girls looked down at their shoes, unsure of what to say next. Just like that, the moment was over - and Ellie was as confused as ever._

_\---_

Maybe Dina did want to be with Ellie. Maybe it wasn’t just innocent flirting. But maybe it was just the alcohol. Ellie didn't know what to think, and she definitely didn’t know what she was going to do on patrol tomorrow. She hoped it wouldn’t be awkward. She needed her best friend, no matter how badly she had wanted to be with her she had never made a move like the one Dina had made tonight because she needed Dina in her life - she would rather have her as a friend than lose her because she tried to be more. 

Suddenly, a crash next door pulled Ellie out of her thoughts. Without thinking, she ran outside to see Joel out on his porch - an embarrassed look on his face as he picked up the remains of a broken flower pot that had been resting on the railing of the wooden deck. Ellie really didn’t want to talk to him, but it now seemed that she had no choice. She felt terrible - she knew she needed to apologize for the way she had treated him at the dance. After all, he was just trying to protect her from Seth. 

“Hey” she mumbled, “Getting clumsy in your old age?” She hoped that she could break the tension from earlier with humor.

This made Joel happier than an insult should’ve - he knew that if she was joking with him that she was okay. It also meant that she was open to talking - which he had not expected. 

“Yea, yea” he grumbled. “I always said I ain’t a farmer.” He sat down in his plastic chair, his guitar now resting on his lap as it had been before. 

Ellie stood awkwardly against the railing, facing the old man who she considered to be her father. 

“Whatcha drinking?” 

“Coffee.” He responded, expecting to be ridiculed by the younger girl. Ellie had tried a sip one time and had spit out the priceless liquid, claiming that it tasted like dirt. 

“Where’d you get that?” She knew that it was almost impossible to come by now. 

“Uh, those people that came through last week.” Joel explained.

“Oh.” Ellie nodded, feeling uncomfortable and unable to make eye contact with Joel. She stared down at her dirty converse - she really needed a newer pair. 

“A little embarrassed as to what I had to trade to get it, but…” he trailed off, shrugging. “it’s not bad.”

The two of them stood in silence for a second, Ellie not knowing what to say next. She knew she wanted to apologize but it was just still so awkward between the pair. She loved him, but she was still angry. Joel sipped on his coffee, knowing that he needed to give Ellie a little bit of time to get her thoughts together. They were alike in that way - they weren’t great with talking. Maybe that’s why they were both so drawn to music to express how they felt. 

“I had Seth under control,” Ellie began. 

“Yeah, I know.” 

“And you need to stop harassing Jesse about my patrols.” She knew that he was protective, and that it was out of love, but she was a grown woman. She needed freedom.

Joel just shook his head. He wanted to fight her on it. He wanted to explain that it was all out of love and that he just wanted her to be safe. She was the closest thing he had to a daughter, and he’d be damned if he didn’t take care of her accordingly. Despite this though he just nodded his head, eyes trained forward while he felt Ellie’s eyes burning into the side of his head. 

“Okay.” He whispered defeatedly. 

They again stood in silence. This time it was Ellie giving him some time to think - she knew by the look on his face that he had something to say, he just didn’t know how to breach the topic. After a moment of silence he finally got his words together. 

“Dina,” he began, “is she your girlfriend?” 

This was the conversation that Ellie had been afraid of for years. She had never told the old Texan about her sexuality because she was terrified of what he might think. She knew of lots of older people both in Boston and in Jackson who were less than accepting. She’d heard that people weren’t open to this kind of thing even before the outbreak. Some were even worse than Seth. From Joel’s tone she couldn’t judge how he was going to react. 

“No!” she answered quickly, even though it sent a pang through her chest. She wished Dina would be her girlfriend. 

“No. She -- that was just one kiss. It doesn't mean anything. She just ... “ she shook her head, looking down at her shoes sadly - refusing to make eye contact with Joel, “I don’t know why she did that.” And she really didn’t. She wished she knew what went on in the smaller girl’s head, but this had her so baffled. 

“You do like her.” Joel pulled her out of her thoughts. 

He had always known that Ellie had had a crush on Dina. It was painfully obvious in the way she looked at her - in the way she looked at Jesse with a mixture of jealousy and anger. He didn’t care that Dina was a girl, in fact he absolutely loved Dina - he loved that she was able to keep up with Ellie’s sarcasm, and that she understood what the pair had been through while outside the walls of Jackson. She had grown up struggling just like Ellie had, not like some of the privileged Jackson kids that had never encountered an infected before in their lives. He had no problem with two women being … together - but he quickly pulled himself out of these thoughts, not wanting to think about his daughter doing anything of that sort.

Ellie sighed in defeat. “I’m so stupid.” She wiped a stray tear off onto her shoulder, hoping that Joel wouldn’t notice. She had been successful at holding in her feelings for Dina for years - and now with one little kiss that had all crumbled. She was pining after a girl who she thought to be unattainable. 

Joel was thrilled to have Ellie opening up to him. It was like old times. It was like they were father and daughter - just as it was meant to be. The only thing he didn’t like was seeing his baby girl hurt. 

“Look, I have no idea what that girl’s intentions are, but …” he tried to articulate his words “I do know that she would be lucky to have you.” 

Ellie shook her head. Who would be lucky to have her? She was a mess. She couldn’t even forgive her surrogate father for saving her life. 

“You’re such an asshole!” she blurted out.

“I’m not trying to --” Joel mumbled, confused before being interrupted by Ellie. 

“I was supposed to die in that hospital!” If Joel had just let her die she wouldn’t have to be dealing with any of this. She wouldn’t have to feel the hurt that she did right now. 

“My life would’ve fucking mattered!” Ellie couldn’t keep her chin from quivering now. “But you took that from me!”

The silence lingered between the two for what felt like an hour. Neither of them knew what to say. Joel wouldn’t apologize for saving her life - he didn’t regret it. Ellie was embarrassed by the outburst. She just had to get it out. One last time and then she would do her best to forget it. 

“If somehow the Lord gave me a second chance at that moment …” Joel said shakily, “I would do it all over again.” He emphasized this by finally meeting Ellie’s eyes for the first time that night. He meant what he said. 

Ellie’s face softened. She was still angry but she was just so tired. She just wanted to trust the man again. She wanted to let it go. All she could do was nod her head, looking back down at her converse. 

“Yeah…” she finally responded, “I just -- I don’t think I can ever forgive you for that.” Her tone wasn’t harsh. She wasn’t trying to hurt him. “But I would like to try.” She brought it back to their earlier conversation in the woodshop. She really had meant what she’d said. She wanted to forgive him - she wanted to be Joel and Ellie again.

“I’d like that.” Joel breathed out a sigh of relief, grinning but still staring into his now empty coffee mug. 

They were both crying now, though neither wanted the other to notice. There again was a minute of silence, and this time Ellie was the one to break it. 

“I love you old man.” she mumbled sheepishly. She hadn’t told the older man this since before Salt Lake City. She wanted him to know - she wanted to make sure that he always knew. She finally felt like she was ready to be open and vulnerable with the man again, at least in some manner. 

“I - I love ya too kiddo.” Surprised, he turned to Ellie and pulled her into a hug. 

This was the second hug that the pair had shared that day, but it was much more meaningful. The pair stayed like that for a minute - not needing to say anything more. They knew how each other felt, and though they knew that there would still be a ways to go to get back to normal - they knew that they loved each other. And for Ellie and Joel that was enough. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed it! I'm a long time reader and a first time writer so hopefully this was to your liking. That being said I am strongly considering writing more (I REALLY wish we could've seen more of the journey from Seattle to Jackson and some more fluff between Ellie and Dina while she's pregnant - not gonna lie this game gave me major baby fever). So if anyone would be interested in something like that please leave a comment and let me know :) Stay safe y'all, its crazy times! 
> 
> If anyone is interested I do have a Tumblr and would be happy to chat with some fellow TLOU fans/ chill gays (or non-gays idc) like myself, so slide me a message!! @ cosmic-crust


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